Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute

Academic qualifications, Work and Experiences

Dr Mariam Mtunguja a postharvest management specialist and is currently heading a postharvest unit at TARI Kibaha. She has more than 15 years’ experience in agricultural research.

Worked as National Coordinator for Postharvest management Program at TARI Ilonga (Dec 2018-July2021), before moving to TARI Kibaha.

Dr Mtunguja holds a BSc in Food Science and Technology (SUA), MSc in Food technology majoring in postharvest engineering (KU Leuven) and PhD in Food Technology (SUA and UC Davis)

She was employed by Ministry of Agriculture Food Security and Co-operatives in 2005 as Agricultural tutor and from 2007 as an Agriculture Research Officer and went through various levels of promotion up to the level of Senior Researcher.

Professionally, Dr. Mtunguja has been involved in many postharvest projects particularly in product development, quality assurance, process design and promotion of bio fortified crops Both projects were aimed at improving food and nutrition security for rural people.

Dr. Mtunguja is former Borlaug LEAP fellow, whereby the program is designed to mentor a new generation of agriculture scientists and educators who can sustain scientific innovation for development and work to address issues of food security.  During the program she was able to characterize cassava starch from local cassava elites for suitability in processing industries and promote the potential of cassava to alleviate rural poverty .of starch. Moreover, from this work she managed to publish 4 peer reviewed journal papers. To date Dr Mtunguja has total of 13 papers in peer review journals.